LEXINGTON, Ky. – Only two exhibitions into the season, Kentucky coach John Calipari has used one of the oldest tactics in coaching to drive the point home for Hamidou Diallo.

The bench.

If the Wildcats' freshman guard shoots a long-range shot instead of driving the ball to the rim, Calipari will tell Diallo to take a seat and watch.

"You're not playing that way," said Calipari after Kentucky's 92-67 win against Morehead State on Monday. "You're going to drive the ball or I will sub you. It's not that hard. So shoot a three, you're coming out."

Calipari is consistent, according to freshman guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who says Diallo's 3-point attempts in practice have to be wide-open looks or Calipari yells out.

"Literally every day, every time he shoots a 3," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "I'll say every other 3. Cal wants him to get to the lane or get to an elbow pull-up (jumpshot), which he's also good at."

“You're going to drive the ball or I will sub you. It's not that hard. So shoot a three, you're coming out.”

John Calipari, on Hamidou Diallo

Diallo said the extra attention and intense coaching from Calipari is a positive interaction.

"That's the great thing. That's why I came here," said the 6-foot-5 native of Queens, New York. "I want to get better every day, so when he's calling me out, I can get frustrated. I mean, I'm human. I just know in the back of my head this guy wants what's best for me and he knows what he's talking about because he's done it for so long.

Calipari immediately took Diallo out after both of his missed 3-pointers on Monday. After the second missed triple, Diallo didn't try another until late in the second half with the Wildcats well ahead.

"From that point on he drove the ball," Calipari said. "He drove, he drove, he drove and then he got one three late in the game. That's who he is. He will play that way, folks, and I love him to death, or he won't play."

The mandate to drive is based on two reasons: Diallo's shooting ability was scrutinized in the spring when he flirted with leaving school for the NBA draft and remains a work in progress. And, his speed, strength, length and explosiveness make it difficult for defenders to keep him from driving for dunks and lay-ups.

Simply put, he's elite at one thing and working to improve at the other.

"I feel like no defender can stay in front of me, me personally," Diallo said.

“I've been putting in the work so I know it's not going to change over a day.”

Hamidou Diallo

"I think that's what separates him from every guy in the country, his ability to get in the lane is really special and at times its really tough," Gilgeous-Alexander said.

Diallo said proving he could shoot was not the deciding factor for returning to school instead of turning pro. It was a more complicated decision that hinged on many factors, but since then Diallo has routinely talked about and has been seen working on his shot. In June at Team USA training camp in Colorado, he arrived early and stayed late to shoot 3-pointers after each practice.

During Calipari's Women's Clinic Sunday, Diallo was cited by the coaching staff as the best dunker on the team and was asked to dunk for the guests in attendance. He did and then, unprompted, drained a half-court shot to casually suggest he's more than a high jumper.

"It's about consistency for me, consistency shooting it the same way and just going in the gym knowing where I'm at and knowing where I need to be at," he said.

With Calipari expected to continue using the bench if necessary, Diallo said he can't remain a dimensional offensive threat forever. Defenders will know what's coming and could start conceding 3-point looks to limit his drives.

If that's the case, his shots are, "just going to have to fall," Diallo said. "I've been putting in the work so I know it's not going to change over a day. Just keep putting in the work and if teams keep giving me open shots I'm going to keep shooting it until they start respecting me."